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Text Luna sketched while Scrivener slept until she got bored and kicked him awake, after giving him some fifty minutes of rest. The earth pony had been surly, blinking sleep tiredly from his eyes and mumbling grouchily as Luna went about the task of cooking the last of their fish. They took their time with the meal, eating slowly as Scrivener finally came around to full wakefulness, his body a little sore, muscles tired but loosening up as he and Luna rested side-by-side, backs heated by the sapphire flames behind them as they looked at the frozen-shut doors and passed thoughts of planning and strategy back and forth. Not that there was a whole lot of strategy about what they planned to do: get to the Black Baroque, perhaps dare to delve into its haunted depths, and then begin summoning and leading on the Pales. Of course, calling the spirits to them would also have the nasty side effect of possibly getting the attention of demons and other wicked things… but as long as they didn't attract anything that could injure the ghosts as well, Luna and Scrivener were confident in their ability to fight off whatever dared to try and attack them. The two traded looks, trading thoughts… and then the winged unicorn nodded slowly, saying quietly: "Alright Scrivener Blooms. Thou may wear it this time, but only because we do not know what lays ahead. And if something begins to happen… do not worry for the relic. We can lead the Pales on with my horn, we have done it before even though it is… tiring, and will make the journey back rougher on us both. But our comforts and luxury can be sacrificed if it means protecting our lives." "I know, Luna. But if something does happen, I'm going to try and protect both." The male replied softly, glancing towards where the open satchel sat, and Luna sighed but nodded grudgingly as she turned her own gaze towards the saddlebag with a grumble as her horn glowed quiet blue. A moment later, a cloth-wrapped object rose quietly out of the bag, and Scrivener smiled a bit as the blanket padding it carefully extracted itself from around the strange, long shape, revealing a thick collar made of segmented plates of pale-green painted bone: runes gleamed over it, etchings that were painted with the bright crimson of supernatural blood, and a single, tiny bell hung from the bottom of the collar, ringing softly as it floated towards Scrivener before he bowed his head forwards. It slipped around his neck and locked tightly into place, a complex, cold iron buckle fastening and holding it tight as the male rolled his shoulders with a wince, the runes that covered the strange choker glinting brightly. The bell jingled softly, and Scrivener gave another grimace as he looked up… and was unsurprised to see several Pales standing and looking silently down at them, drawn by the quiet chime of the bell alone. The Khlōros: a collar said to belong to Grim Steed himself, and which even without being activated tended to draw out Pales… but once empowered with Luna's magic, would emit a phantasmal call that soothed and drew out the spirits of the dead, letting them form a vast herd of souls who would follow them anywhere they went for as long as the collar stayed active. But it was also fragile: a single good blow to it would crack the collar or halt its spectral song, and then the Pales would quickly lose their focus and become disoriented, wandering away unless Luna replicated the collar's effects with a spell… a spell that was particularly draining and required both Scrivener and Luna to pour their concentration into it, severely weakening them both over the course of even a short march. It also left them almost defenseless… and worse, if they did get in a fight, Luna would have to drop the enchantment, and after the battle most likely rest… which in other words, would mean losing most, if not all, of the herd of Pales they would have gathered up to that point on top of everything else. The collar had been broken more than once over the last decade, and then they had to give it to Odin for him to take it to be repaired. Whether he was a god or not, he still had a long line of discreet contacts he often put to use… but was also always careful to never mention any of them by name. They were likely other gods or entities from who knew where… and despite her past life, not even Luna was able to put forwards many guesses as to how and why and where and when Odin had befriended these other entities: Valkyries, after all, had essentially been soldiers and bodyguards, spending much of their time keeping the Warrior's Heaven in order and the rest running errands for the Aesir. They had only ever done what they had been told to do, and not asked questions or made judgments… although that was probably part of the reason why Odin had been so furious when his advances upon then-Brynhild had been refused. Luna smiled a bit as Scrivener reached up and absently rubbed along the segmented collar, and then she leaned forwards and said quietly: "We shall activate it once we reach the Black Baroque… after perhaps scouting the accursed area. But for now, wear it proudly as the warrior poet thou hast become, Scrivener Blooms. Only remember… thine life comes first. Even should this break, we shall find another way to gather these lost and sad souls… it is important to save them, but we cannot save anypony if we ourselves die." "No self-destructing, I understand." Scrivener replied with a bit of a smile, and Luna laughed quietly and gave him an entertained look before her horn glowed as she winked at him, lifting Sleipnir's helm and firmly shoving it down over the equine's head, making him snort in entertainment as his glasses half-fell down his face before he pushed them quickly back up. "But first we need to get past those Elementals and out of North Neigh, if you're so eager to go." "I am not eager to travel into the Gray Mountains, and less eager to reach the Black Baroque… but I am admittedly very eager to be out of this awful frozen city of bad memories." Luna replied with a grimace, shaking her head slowly before she glanced moodily towards the door, even as her horn glowed and a similar aura surrounded the satchel bag sitting on the ground. She tilted her head to the side, and it lifted off the ground, floating over and firmly dropping into place over Scrivener as she shook her head briskly out, her own helm floating up from the ground a moment later and slipping carefully into place over her skull as she muttered: "Let us go the direct route. If the Elementals still wish for a battle, then a battle they shall receive." "Oh wonderful." Scrivener remarked dryly, as he glanced around the area, and then paused as his eyes settled on the burning wreckage… but then only smiled a little. Even if the fires spread… what was there to lose here any longer? He shook his head slowly at this thought, then turned and hurried after Luna as she strode imperiously forwards in her cloak, her horn still glowing… but not with telekinesis this time, as he felt her focusing and concentrating her magic. "Uh, Luna, you know-" The winged unicorn ignored him as she suddenly flicked her head forwards, however, sending a blue fireball rocketing towards the frozen barrier of the once-doors, and it exploded in an echoing bang that sent icy shrapnel and chunks of wood flying in all directions as blue flames obscured the doorway for a moment before whiffing out of existence, revealing three Ice Elementals that seemed to be staring at them from their featureless faces as Scrivener gaped and Luna strode nonchalantly forwards and out of the doorway, cracking her neck with a grin as she said calmly: "Hast thou been waiting for us this entire time? My most sincere apologies." Slowly, one of the Ice Elementals creaked as it climbed slowly to a standing position from where it had been sitting on the stairs, turning around and lumbering forwards as the other two flanked the imposing creature, and then it leaned forwards and roared, vibrating as cold wind and snow burst forwards and blew past Luna and Scrivy, icy flecks dotting Luna's cheeks and frost spreading through her ephemeral mane as it sailed backwards and she leaned away with a grimace of distaste. Then it halted, still leaning forwards aggressively, clawed, frozen hands twitching as it growled low in its throat… and Luna looked slowly over her shoulder at Scrivener Blooms, who winced and dropped flat on his stomach, covering his head with his forelegs before Luna's glare snapped back forwards and she cleared her throat loudly. Then she leaned forwards and roared in return, her voice booming and rough, the very stone around them cracking as the Ice Elemental was sent skidding backwards several feet from the raw waves of sound alone, the creature directly in front of her vibrating violently from the terrible reverberations before it simply exploded backwards in a hail of frost and snow, fragments of Ice Elemental flying in all directions as the arm of one of the flanking Elementals burst apart and cracks ripped through the body of the second creature, the living ice falling dumbly backwards on its rear as Luna's voice finally sharply cut off. She spat to the side, then glared balefully back and forth… and then the one-armed Elemental slowly tottered over and fell on its side with what sounded almost like a groan. The other Elemental only sat dazedly back against the wall as Scrivener winced and stood up, adjusting his glasses and rubbing awkwardly at one ear as Luna glanced over her shoulder, saying imperiously: "I believe the Royal Canterlot Voice has finally found its true purpose, Scrivener Blooms. Shall we move on?" "I really don't like you sometimes." Scrivener replied dryly, and Luna threw her head back and laughed as she walked through the archway, the earth pony wincing as he followed after her, glancing nervously at the Elementals… but both of the creatures still seemed stunned as they made their way down the steps of City Hall, the male adding mildly: "I also really hope that didn't get the attention of any dragons or anything. You're really going to have to learn the art of subtlety at some point, Luna." "I can be plenty subtle when I choose to be, Scrivener Blooms, but there is little fun and point in it." Luna retorted, glaring over her shoulder at him with a huff, and Scrivy smiled amusedly at her as they paused on the road, the winged unicorn opening her mouth… but then instead softening, glancing down the snow-covered street and saying softly: "Come. It occurs to me that we should follow… an old route." Scrivener softened himself as he caught her thoughts, as memories of his own rose up and mixed with them… memories of a chase of awful horrors through the frosty streets, and of the trap they had been lured to… and the male bowed his head forwards as a flash of later memory caught in his mind like a fishhook, a snarling, grinning, demonic face rasping: We shall show you the true meaning of the Black Verses. And then the visions he had seen, the memories forced into his mind, the eons of evil that had torn through him… but Luna reached up and shook his shoulder gently, and the male smiled awkwardly as he glanced up at her, murmuring: "Sorry, Luna. I'm ready, let's go." "Assertive and bold, yet. Perhaps the closer we come to Helheim, the more masculine thou becomes." Luna replied ironically, and Scrivener looked at her for a moment… then a smile twitched at his muzzle before he threw his head back and laughed, and Luna looked at him oddly for a few moments before she couldn't help but join in his strange merriment. Finally, the two quieted awkwardly and gazed at one another with small smiles, husband and wife studying each other as they traded thoughts back and forth. Then Luna tilted her head to the side, saying softly, a small smile playing around her features. "Come then, husband. Let us continue to move forwards… we shall see if thou becomes a hulking mass of machismo muscle as we near the Black Baroque. 'Twill be fun." "Only if it doesn't affect you too, Luna. Heaven's Horses know the last thing I need is a mighty Valkyrie such as yourself turning into an Amazonian hulk on top of everything else." Scrivener quipped, and when Luna gave him a flat look, he added seriously: "That's what Nightmare Moon is there for." "Oh I hate thee so much sometimes, Scrivy. Go back to being miserable. Wallow in it. Thou deserves it." Luna retorted, leaning towards him and glaring at him as they paced slowly down the snowy road, the winged unicorn drawing her eyes grouchily along him. "Mare." "You're a mare." Scrivener grumbled, and the two firmly bumped their sides together as they continued through the snowy streets, trying to keep themselves as relaxed as possible despite the unease and tenseness traveling through their bodies, and the flickers of memory that kept threatening to spill through their minds. Yet Luna and Scrivener both felt determined to see this through, to push forwards and to ensure that everything that had gone wrong was righted, that they saved as much as they possibly could… and around them, Pales lingered and watched silently, emerging here and there from shattered buildings and thin air as the two turned down a street that ended at a ripped gap in the mostly-collapsed wall surrounding the city. Two Ice Elementals looked up from where they calmly sat on one side of the road as they walked towards this, but neither of the strange, slow-to-anger creatures moved: it was becoming more and more apparent that as long as there were no major bursts of heat or energy nearby, they were more than content to leave them well enough alone, even if they seemed exceptionally-curious about the living creatures in their midst. Luna and Scrivener only gave the two a passing glance, however, and neither of the Elementals seemed inclined to get to their feet, only watching with their featureless, jagged faces. But as they looked ahead, a Pale flickered into existence in front of them… and Scrivener staggered to a halt as Luna frowned… then caught Scrivener's memories, saw through Scrivener's eyes, and she shot a sharp, surprised look at him before gazing at the Pale ahead, as it glimmered with frost… but in Scrivy's vision, looked at him with a mix of almost impossible-to-define emotions, chief amongst which seemed to be… sorrow. The unicorn mare had a charcoal coat and gray mane, features vainly-beautiful, her eyes sharp, blue-tinged silver. Upon her flank was a vine of grapes, and she and Scrivener studied each other for a long, silent time before a second unicorn Pale appeared, striding up beside her but staying a few feet away, the distance between them like a tangible wall. The newcomer had a paler coat and a black mane and tail both streaked with gray, his features disbelieving and angry and pleading all at once. His dark eyes stared almost stupidly at Scrivener Blooms as the symbol of brambles upon his flank seemed to writhe, the Pale shaking his head before he yelled silently, out of fear more than anger… but Scrivener only smiled faintly, shaking his own head slowly and saying quietly: "Bramblethorn. Tia Belle. I'd like to ask you both to get out of my way, okay? You're ghosts. You're less dangerous to me than my own memories now. I'm…" He fell silent, looking down quietly at the snowy street and pawing a hoof at the ground as Luna gazed towards him quietly, and then the earth pony looked up, closing his eyes as he murmured: "Mom, Dad. I can't say that I love you. I also can't say that I never… tried to love you, that despite everything… once I was your son, once… I was… I always thought that you were right. I was a failure for not being a unicorn, and… well… anyway. What I'm trying to say is that after everything that happened, I have to move forwards. And you two are going to have to move out of my way." He stopped, opening his eyes as Bramblethorn stepped forwards, yelling silently, his features terrified as the Pale stomped his hooves madly, but he was barely able to affect the snow and the temper tantrum only made Scrivener shake his head. Tia Belle, meanwhile, looked at him silently, and Scrivener felt his heart wrench in his chest as he hesitated, then looked at Luna. Luna looked back… and then she smiled faintly, whispering: "Thou art too kind, daydreamer. It will be the death of thee one day… but… I do not see why not. We never discussed… this occurrence. Pales usually fade away after so long, but the rules of the world are… changed here, in this toxic place. Your memories of her are not good… but I suppose that while Bramblethorn made a nuisance of himself, the mare was dead. If thou… art sure…" "Tia Belle." Scrivener Blooms looked towards the unicorn mare, and she glanced up silently, the male stepping forwards towards her decisively as Luna watched quietly, respectfully. "You mostly ignored me… you always went along with Bramblethorn, and you were elitist and nasty but… it was always Bramblethorn who threw me around, who used me in the shop, who spent his time taking his moods out on me." He stopped, then laughed a little, glancing down and adding quietly: "But at least now… I see you looking at me a little differently, while Bramblethorn…" He paused, then winced when the Pale of his father strode suddenly forwards, reaching up to slam his icy but almost-incorporeal hooves into Scrivener's shoulders, making him wince back as he leaned forwards and shouted silently, desperately into his face… but Scrivener only responded by bringing his own front hooves up and grasping the semisolid Pale, a shiver running through him as he held Bramblethorn's shoulders almost gently, the ghost flickering as it looked surprised at the fact that Scrivener could make contact with it. But what Bramblethorn likely didn't know was that any Pale that worked itself up enough to touch something in the physical world… could be grasped back in return. Scrivener leaned forwards, closing his eyes, and Luna clenched her own shut, her horn giving a faint glow before the earth pony whispered in his father's ear, in words that made terrible images twist through his mind for all the gentleness he spoke the awful language with: "Your bed awaits; return to sleep." Luna's horn glowed, her magic fueling Scrivener's short quote, and black lines ripped through Bramblethorn's Pale body as he shoved himself violently backwards, gasping as the sparkling frost around the ghost faded. The unicorn specter shook his head wildly, his eyes turning ivory in his sockets as shocks of darkness writhed back and forth through his body, and Scrivener Blooms smiled faintly, sadly, as Bramblethorn stiffened… then slowly slumped, the Pale falling forwards and sparking out of existence as Scrivy lowered his head and closed his eyes. The Pale of his mother stared at him with shock, with fear, but Scrivener only sighed softly as he murmured: "I'm sorry I had to resort to that, but I know Bramblethorn would have haunted us the whole way otherwise… he's not… destroyed. He's just gone for now… the Black Verses target the soul, but usually they're diluted by the mind, by the body. But a Pale is pure soul…" Scrivener paused, reaching up to absently wipe a trail of bloody tears from one cheek, and he looked quietly down at this for a moment before returning his eyes to Tia Belle, saying quietly: "You can cross the Bifrost, Tia Belle. But then I don't want to ever see you again. I don't know why you're still here, why you're a Pale, what unfinished business you could have possibly had on this world, but… you can cross the Bifrost and get a second chance. Just stay away from me." The mare looked at him silently… then she walked forwards, sitting on her haunches in front of Scrivener , and Scrivy gazed curiously back as he rose up a bit before the Pale awkwardly rose her front limb, hesitating, and Scrivener winced, leaning slightly away… but then the unicorn leaned forwards and hugged him carefully, slowly, and the male looked shocked as he leaned back before a voice whispered in his ear: "I'm sorry." Then, slowly, Tia Belle drew away, and gave him a faint smile… before the ghost quietly began to fade from existence, white motes floating up from it as she looked suddenly peaceful and relieved, and Scrivener felt tears forming in his eyes as a shudder ran through him, watching silently as the ghost of his mother vanished bit-by-bit from sight. He could only stare, even as Luna stepped forwards and wrapped a foreleg around him, as tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, before the winged unicorn said quietly: "Perhaps she never loved thee, Scrivener Blooms… but all the same, it seems she knew on some level… what she did was not right. It seems her unfinished business… it had been thee. Perhaps she did die because thou left North Neigh… perhaps she died of regret, for never speaking in life…" Luna trailed off, lowering her head, but the words strangely seemed to help as Scrivy bowed his head forwards with a faint smile, more tears leaking from his eyes as a shudder ran through him before he whispered: "Life is so much goddamn easier when you can just… pretend there's good, and evil, and that bad ponies are bad and irredeemable and have no reasons for what they do and… oh, Luna…" He clenched his eyes shut, grinding his teeth together painfully before the winged unicorn hugged him fiercely, and he sighed quietly as he let himself rest against her for a few moments before they both looked up with a wince and over their shoulders to stare at the sight of an Ice Elemental standing only a few feet away, leaning curiously over them. It studied the two, then slowly opened its arms, as if inviting them in for a hug… and Scrivy and Luna both awkwardly cleared her throats before the male hurriedly wiped at his eyes and adjusted his glasses, mumbling: "Thank you, but we. We have to be somewhere." With that, Scrivener turned and hurried embarrassedly towards the broken fencing as Luna sat for a moment longer, staring at the still-standing, still-open-armed Ice Elemental before she gave a short, embarrassed giggle, then turned around and hurried after Scrivy, darting through the hole in the fencing and following the earth pony into the snowy fields beyond as they headed towards the Gray Mountains and hurried away from the strange ice-city of North Neigh. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story